1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for recording/reproducing information. More particularly, the present invention relates to a unit for effectively cooling heat generating portions on a supply source circuit in an instrument section for recording a number of information in an information recording medium such as an optical card or the like and regenerating the recorded informations therefrom.
2. Description of the Related Art
An apparatus for recording/reproducing information by irradiating a laser beam to an information recording medium such as an optical card or the like has been hitherto known. The apparatus includes an instrument section for recording a large number of information by irradiating a laser beam to the optical card while the optical card is displaced relative to an optical head. To drive and control the instrument section, an electronic control circuit including semiconductor integrated circuits and various electronic components is arranged in a common housing. Since some of the electronic components in the electric control circuit generate heat as they are fed with an electric current, there is a need of cooling the electronic components by introducing a cooling air into the housing from the outside. To this end, the electronic components have been heretofore cooled by introducing an environmental air into the housing via an air intake port so as to allow the cooling air to flow through the whole area of the housing.
With the conventional apparatus constructed in the above-described manner, however, since the cooling air is introduced into the whole area of the housing together with dusts in an environmental atmosphere, there arises a problem that the dusts adhere to the light receiving surface of the optical head for recording information in the optical card and regenerating the recorded information therefrom or water drops are deposited on the same. As a result, an operation for recording and regenerating informations fails to be performed correctly and exactly.